Archives for April 2014

Yesterday I found myself standing in the middle of the shoe section at a very well known department store. I was scouting summer sandals because I purchased a pair I have been dying to own for over a year. A few of my friends have them, they’re wonderfully preppy, and I see them constantly on the blogs that I love to read.

My pretty pair of gold sandals arrived on Friday night just in time for me to walk around my house in them all weekend. I loved that I finally had a pair of the “hip” preppy shoes that so many people own. But I found myself not completely in love with them. I wasn’t sure about the color; I couldn’t decide if they fit correctly; and I definitely Googled whether or not other people had found them turning into a very comfortable pair of shoes. For $90, I better feel like I’m walking on air, y’all (PS: that’s $90 on sale).

But back to yesterday.

I went to the mall to scout whether or not this brand came in a different color, but a different color meant spending more. I found myself getting more and more frustrated that these shoes didn’t seem to be right because the pair I purchased on sale was the max amount I truly wanted to pay. At this point, I’m now mourning the loss of a dream pair of shoes and getting increasingly frustrated that I can’t afford to buy something expensive. I see other people my age wearing not only this pair of shoes (which are still so cute!), but other expensive styles as well. So why am I not able to be like them?

Now I felt completely ridiculous because I have so, so much, which I realized even more when I cleared out the clutter in my closet a few weekends ago. I love fashion. I love discovering more about my personal style, but I don’t love the feeling of being obsessed with stuff (even really pretty preppy stuff). These sandals made me feel completely materialistic, which is one of the worst feelings in my opinion. The dream pair of shoes went against my entire goal of filling my closet with less in order to focus on the pieces I LOVE. If I’m trying to make them work, how is that fun? Why be like everyone else if that doesn’t equal happiness? Plus, the absolute worst thing to do is to compare my situation to that of someone else. So the sandals are going back. And I’m going to refocus again.

I believe in loving what you own and shopping within your budget (whatever that may be). I believe in quality over quantity. I believe that saying no to one thing means saying yes to another. I believe in experiences over things (aka: splurging on flowers each week for my desk and surprising friends with gifts). I also believe that a $30 pair of scalloped sandals (!!) from American Eagle can be just as fun to wear all season long. :)

Now and again, you read an article, and it just stays with you. I read a piece in Sweet Lemon Magazine last summer about Katie Schloss. Her entrepreneurial spirit and her company, Three Jane, have never left my mind. In my opinion, that’s the best trait of a great entrepreneur with a beautiful, unique product!

Katie is known for designing the Map Necklace. Each necklace features the names of several streets, and the location most meaningful to the wearer is marked with a small diamond. From custom pieces complete with the streets in your childhood neighborhood to the location of your wedding reception, Katie’s pieces are perfect no matter what season of life you (or your recipient!) are experiencing.

Not only is the jewelry she designs unique, but her story is too. I am thrilled to introduce Katie because she is definitely someone I am continually inspired by, and I hope she inspires you after today’s Q&A. (Note: Jennifer Lawrence just wore one of her necklaces on the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings. Unreal.)

Let’s get to know you! Explain a little bit about your background. How did you get to where you are now?

I interned for a variety of different jewelry designers throughout college, most notably Rachel Leigh, who was in over 500 stores nationwide at the time. Rachel & her team taught me how to make some of the jewelry in her collection, and I began making little things here & there moving forward. After college, I worked for a PR agency, working on accounts such as Target. Once I decided that I’d rather go in a slightly different direction, I began freelancing for various social media campaigns and began developing my own collection. Once I launched the website, I immediately had a ton of orders, and then I was able to focus on the business full-time.

What are your favorite ways to stay inspired? Who inspires you?

My favorite way to stay inspired is to talk to my customers directly. It’s inspiring to learn what they really want, identify the gaps in the market, and create new products accordingly. Entrepreneurial women inspire me the most. It doesn’t matter if it’s Alexis Maybank & Alexandra Wilkis Wilson from GILT or a couple of little girls selling lemonade on the side of the road. One woman that has really inspired me most recently is milliner Satya Twena (one look at her most recent Kickstarter video and you’ll see why). Satya encouraged me to do Marie Forleo’s B-School with her & two other female entrepreneurs. Now each week we discuss what we learned in the modules, but we mostly talk about our businesses, where we are in them, and what we need moving forward. Each session is more inspiring than the last and talking to these women each week has dramatically improved my business acumen.

If you’re having a bad moment, how do you turn your day around?

I actually keep a wall of all of the nice emails I’ve received from customers, celebrities, and editors alike, so whenever I’m having a low moment, I read them, go for a run (if time allows), and get back at it.

How did you know you had made the right decision to follow your current path? Have you had a favorite moment?

I’ve been very fortunately to have many defining moments, from selling at Henri Bendel to being included in InStyle’s gift guide. My most recent moment though was this month’s cover of Martha Stewart Weddings. The magazine cover features Jennifer Lawrence, her sister-in-law, and 10 other bridesmaids, all wearing Map Necklaces. Each map represents where the bride met each of her bridesmaids, and it was a really special project to work on & see come into full fruition.

What’s next for you? What are you most excited about right now?

A ton actually! I spent the first year of my business saving my pennies, and now I’m starting to re-invest, re-brand, re-everything! I’m re-doing & re-launching my website, I’m coming out with fully collections, that I’m SO excited about. I think by this time next year, I’ll really have the company I always envisioned, and that’s definitely something to look forward to.

I hope you loved “meeting” Katie has much as I have (I cheered on a group of girls manning a lemonade stand last weekend after reading Katie’s interview)! I also hope you’ve starting planning which Map Necklace you would like to purchase. :) Be sure to visit Katie’s website and keep up with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! She has a lot planned that you won’t want to miss.

First, let me introduce Bonobos. They are an online men’s retailer that I hear about constantly for a number of reasons: they’ve experienced tremendously fast growth in the men’s fashion market since they opened in 2007, they’re branding is so on point, and they’re styles are perfectly tailored and completely modern and preppy. PS: They have free shipping and free returns (this is quite possibly one of my favorite things about any online retailer). One of my favorite posts to date was one I wrote not too long ago about preppy styles for grooms and groomsmen. I knew I wanted to write another post with a similar theme, so I’m so excited to team up with Bonobos in order to introduce their new line of spring and summer suits to you, your groom, and your groomsmen!

The spring and summer line of suits from Bonobos features pieces with wool, cotton, cotton linen, and seersucker (hello, preppy Southern weddings!). I’m such a fan of the cotton and cotton linen suits because they promise to keep all of the guys in your wedding party much cooler during the height of spring and summer temperatures. Think about purchasing a complete suit, pairing jackets with classic Bonobos chinos, or simply purchasing jackets to pair with pants the guys already own. Which ever option you choose, there’s one certain element: the guys in your wedding will definitely wear their Bonobos pieces again (and again).

Make sure to visit the Bonobos website, and keep up with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Which suit style do you love for your groom and groomsmen to sport on your wedding day? I would love to hear!

My friend Sarah tagged me in a fun questionnaire that she answered on her blog, and I’m so excited to answer these questions. I’ve always been a fan of surveys not because I love talking about myself (quite the opposite – I’m always asking other people questions!), but because these answers allow you to learn a little bit more about me. Plus, they make me think too. I hope you enjoy!

1. Why do you blog?

I started blogging when I was a senior in college because I was interning at Brides.com, and my program required that I either write a paper or complete a creative project in order to fully earn my credits. What started as something that I thought I would do several times each week for a semester turned into starting a new blog, opening a shop, and having a ton of experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I blog because I love to write, it’s a creative outlet, and sometimes it’s just a release of energy.

2. What’s your favorite pastime?

Anything creative! I learned how to make floral arrangements several weeks ago while assisting an NYC event designer, and I LOVED it. I just made a few arrangements for my family this weekend to take home after Easter dinner. I also love creating pieces for my shop. And I run. For fun.

3. Do you have any pets? If so, tell me about them!

No, but I’ve always wanted a dog. Golden retrievers are my favorite. One day! But I may or may not be allergic…

4. If you had the option of going to the desert, ocean, or mountains, which would you choose hands down and what time of year?

The ocean during the summer. Kiawah Island is my happy place. I always say I would pitch a tent on the beach and live there if that was an option. The best days start out with a walk on the beach, followed by a full day of reading under an umbrella with breaks to swim in the ocean, capped off with a sunset stroll and a really yummy dinner.

5. Is blogging your full time gig? If not, what is?

No, but I really wish it was! I’m a sales assistant by day for a company that sells furniture to the hospitality industry. The biggest perk is getting to work with my dad. I’m also a freelance writer and a budding event designer.

6. Sweet or savory?

Hmmm…it depends. I love chocolate. All of the chocolate all of the time. But I could also eat pizza for every meal. And I just discovered Chipotle.

7. Where did you grow up?

Outside of Philadelphia in Bucks County, PA. P!nk is from a town 30 minutes away from me, and I played tennis against the high school she graduated from. What? What?! ;)

I love listening to country. Lady Antebellum is my favorite band. I also listen to Frank Sinatra on Pandora while I work. I love Big Band music. L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole has been one of my favorite songs since I heard it in The Parent Trap when I was little.

10. Bright colors or neutral tones?

Pink and navy! In terms of interior design, I definitely gravitate more toward neutral tones with pops of brighter colors.

11. Tell us one thing about yourself your readers don’t already know.

When I get overly excited about anything, I tend to cry. In other news, I would love to meet Connie Britton.

One of my favorite photographers, Caroline Joy, just started a new fashion blog called Un-Fancy. She started living a more minimalist lifestyle, which includes wearing just 37 pieces each season as part of a capsule wardrobe. I sincerely admire her for it. After reading her first post about how to have an Un-Fancy closet filled with pieces you actually love, I felt completely inspired to clear the clutter and clean out my closet…for two hours.

I definitely fall into the trap of thinking that I have nothing to wear. The truth is that I have far too much to wear and only so many days in the week to wear my favorite pieces, so the clothes that I don’t wear start to make me crazy. I don’t carve out enough time at night to choose my outfits for the next day (I never have), so I end up picking things out in the morning…in a rush. Bad news bears. I also love wandering through Target. What happens at Target? I end up finding something that I have to have. The real truth: the pieces that I purchased at Target because I was so set on having something new to wear were tossed as I cleared. Less is definitely more!

Get ready for a fun weekend project! While I did not pair down my closet to 37 pieces (you go, Caroline!), here’s how I cleared the clutter and ended up with a much happier closet:

1. Remove: As Caroline suggests, I took all of my clothes out of my closet and placed everything on my bed. The key here is to not think about what you’re doing. Even if you know you love or want to get rid of a blouse, don’t do anything yet! Just take everything out of your closet. Baby steps, friends!

2. Sort: Start going through all of your clothes. I did this by season, and I placed items into different piles: Love, Unsure, Try On, and Donate. My Love pile grew the quickest because I was filling it with pieces that caused a gut reaction. The Unsure pile stayed put until the end. A lot of the pieces in my Try On pile turned out to either be things that I overlooked because I thought they didn’t fit when they actually looked just fine, or they were pieces that I had been secretly wanting to toss for a while. The Donate pile grew overtime, but it started out with the pieces that I knew I had not worn all season (this is definitely a key: if you have not worn it in a season, get rid of it).

3. Replace: Once you sort through everything (please, take your time!), start putting everything back into your closet. I put my Love pieces back into my closet first because it allowed me to see the heart of my style and what I wear time and time again. (If I was following Caroline’s Un-Fancy plan to a T, this is almost where I would have stopped.) I then took another look at my Unsure pile and made my final decisions about what I wanted to keep before I put everything back. At this point, I actually ended up organizing my closet too. I decided to separate different pieces like patterned and plain tees, sweaters, button downs, jeans, etc. This caused everything to be much easier to see! Who knew?! ;)

4. Plan: Now that you have a “new” closet filled with clothes you know you actually like, plan your outfits out for the week. I was feeling super creative at this point, and I ended up creating new combinations with things I’ve had for the longest time. This caused getting ready in the morning to move along so much quicker because I had already taken the time to put together what I wanted to wear. Looking at the weather before you plan your outfits will help!

5. Donate: Whether you opt to go to the Salvation Army or Goodwill or call a local donation service, don’t forget to complete the process! If you don’t want to donate your clothes, think about hosting a swap party with friends. Have everyone bring a few of the pieces they’re not wearing anymore and swap with each other. Another idea is to contact a local consignment shop to see if they are accepting new pieces, which will also allow you to make some money.

aaaaand then there’s this…

6. Don’t Shop: Your style is always changing, and it’s fun for your closet to do that too! But don’t rush to fill your closet back up right after you’ve cleared it out. Enjoy having the clutter gone for a little while and challenge yourself to keep creating new combinations. Shopping in your own closet can truly be fun. While your closet is clear, you’ll likely be able to continue to define the pieces that you love. As you do that, filter in new pieces that you can layer with your tried and true favorites.

I ended getting rid of about 10% of my closet, and it feels awesome. I fell off of the planning ahead wagon a bit this week (a few terrible, terrible days are to thank – I’ve been thinking so much about this post!), but I’ll be back to planning this weekend. Let me know your tips and tricks for loving your closet in the comments! Happy weekend! :)

This weekend was one of the best. It was filled with adventures in Washington, DC, nights spent catching up with family, and weather that made me want to stay outside for as long as possible. It’s the first time all season where I finally felt like the warm weather would actually arrive and stay for a while. Hello, happiness.

Warmer weather means bringing my brightest shorts out of winter retirement. After receiving my Whatever is Lovely tee from Lindsay Letters, I knew I had to pair the two together. I added my favorite monogram bracelet, bow ring, and two-toned watch, as well as a braided belt and sandals. With that, you have my Sunday uniform. I can’t complain one bit.

This is how my tee arrived on Thursday. I think it’s the prettiest and happiest packaging ever.

I am so excited to formally introduce you to Sarah Reed of Dodeline Design. She’s a graphic designer based in Charleston, and she specializes in creating stationery – personalized monogram note cards, completely customizable wedding suites, and uniquely modern holiday cards – in addition to designing and branding websites. You may recognize her name because she designed my site. I’m a fan. :)

Sarah’s story is one of my favorites because it’s something so brave yet so common among our generation: she started her company only a few years after graduating from college. The height of the recession caused interior design positions to be scarce, so she turned to graphic design instead. She built her company from the ground up, and she’s partially self-taught. Sarah is one driven lady, and she’s also one of my favorite people to work on projects and be friends with. I hope you feel the same way after getting to know Sarah through today’s Inspired By… feature!

Let’s get to know you! Explain a little bit about your background. How did you get to where you are now?

I am a Southern girl through and through, born and raised in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina and educated in Athens, Georgia. A very circuitous route lead me to owning a small graphic design studio in my hometown; having graduated from college during the recession in 2009, there were very few career opportunities available. I took a part-time job at a frame shop, worked at my old interior design firm job part-time, freelanced, and generally just scraped by doing whatever I could do. Somewhere out of that chaos, a business emerged, and I ended up running with it.

What are your favorite ways to stay inspired? Who inspires you?

Travel is endlessly inspiring, but when I don’t have that option, I love to read blogs, beautiful books, and people watch.

If you’re having a bad moment, how do you turn your day around?

Walking and running. Every once in awhile a random downward-facing-dog in the middle of the office helps too. I find the physical activity to be the best thing to calm the jitters I feel in a moment of stress or anxiety.

How did you know you had made the right decision to follow your current path? Have you had a favorite moment?

I know I made the right decision because it’s a very rare day that I wake up and am not happy about what I do. Sure, I’m stressed about to-do lists and the like, but I don’t dislike doing the items on the to-do list, and that’s pretty lucky from what I hear. I have also met the most amazing network of people (including Carly!) through my work and I never cease to be amazed and inspired by them.

What’s next for you? What are you most excited about right now?

“What’s next” is always a question I have for myself. I am constantly worried about tomorrow and have trouble sometimes remembering that today is important too. It’s hard not to pressure myself too much about how I’m going to keep up or do something even better tomorrow. So I guess that’s my long way of saying, I’m trying to be in the moment right now, and enjoy what I have – family, friends, a wonderful home, and a little business that I treasure. What’s next – we’ll just have to see I guess!

3. Quote: This really resonated with me: Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone,t aking risks like that — that is what life is. You might be really good. You might find something out about yourself that’s really special and if you’re not good, who cares? You tried something. Now you know something about yourself. — Amy Poehler

4. Day of the year: My upcoming birthday! Yay for Aries!

5. Ideal way to spend your day: With my husband, in the lovely home we just purchased, doing whatever we feel like at that moment, even if it’s yard work or touch up paint. It’s my happy place.

I hope you feel inspired after getting to know more about Sarah’s experiences as she’s grown her graphic design firm. Be sure to keep up with her on her site, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

The morning of your wedding will likely feel one of two ways: stressful or really relaxed, exciting, and fun. I sincerely hope it’s the latter. However, a fun wedding morning (or morning of any event!) typically doesn’t just happen. In order for you to enjoy getting ready for your wedding, I thought I would share my 10 ten ways to do just that! From hiring a coordinator to packing coffee, my top tips are below!

Hire a wedding coordinator: The most surefire way to enjoy every aspect of your wedding morning is to hire a day of wedding coordinator. If you don’t hire a coordinator (a venue coordinator is completely different), you will become the point of contact for each and every vendor. Friends and wedding industry vendors always have suggestions for coordinators to contact if you’re not sure where to turn.

Confirm all vendors: If you’re not hiring a coordinator, make sure to make a quick phone call or send an email to each of your vendors during the week leading up to your wedding. Slightly self explanatory, but bring their contact information with you to your wedding. Cell phones numbers are great to have to ease your anxiety in case someone is running late!

Ask questions at your rehearsal: Your ceremony is the most important part of your wedding, and it’s typically when you will have the most questions. Make sure to talk everything through with your officiant, so you and your groom understand each and every step. If you have questions, ask them. You’ll feel much more relaxed leading up to your ceremony if you know about each step.

Pack the night before: If you’re not getting ready at your house, either pack up your car the night before or keep everything that you need to take with you in one central place. Also, some venues openly suggest storing everything there overnight. As long as you feel comfortable, take them up on their offer!

Exercise: Start your morning by doing yoga, pilates, or going for a quick run. Being active is one of the best stress relievers, and you will likely feel much more centered, relaxed, and focused.

Create a playlist: Music makes everything better, in my opinion. Create a Spotify playlist, use iTunes, or turn on Pandora!

Wear something fun: Whether all of your bridesmaids get ready in monogrammed shirts, relax in robes, or simply wear their favorite outfit, wear something you all feel comfortable in. Make sure your t-shirt/blouse won’t cause any harm to your updo when you change into your dress. Button down shirts are awesome to wear while getting ready for this exact reason!

Create a hair and makeup order: Definitely get your stylists’ opinions here, but think about creating an order beforehand. Hair type definitely helps to determine how an updo will look throughout the day, so think about having ‘maids with curly hair have their hair done earlier than those with straight hair (I say this because my hair is curly and can look untouched even at the end of the night!). As the bride, you will always have your hair and makeup done last.

Eat & pack coffee (!!): Even though you might feel nervous, definitely make sure everyone (including you!) eats throughout the day. Plan a fun breakfast and/or lunch to enjoy while getting ready. Aside from water, pack soda, coffee, or tea to drink in the afternoon. You all may be excited, but someone is going to hit a wall and need something to start feeling energized again. It’s a long day, y’all!

Build in extra time: Something is bound to happen – you’re having fun and slightly lose track of time, hair and makeup takes a bit longer, or you decide to take extra photos while getting ready – so always build in extra time. This way you know you won’t be late to your ceremony!

Planning aside, how much you enjoy getting ready definitely depends on your attitude. Toss perfection aside, and have a positive one! Do you have any tips to add? Definitely weigh in, in the comments!

On Saturday night, I made a last minute decision to go through everything in my closet. Literally, everything. I’ve been feeling like I have far too many options, yet I continue to reach for the same pieces over and over again. I now have quite the pile of clothes ready to be donated, plus I planned out all of my outfits for the week complete with new combinations (#weekendwin). One of the ways I’m pulling together my new looks: statement jewelry.

The BaubleBar x Nordstrom collection was one of my favorite finds last week, and I had such a hard time narrowing down my favorites on Friday. I don’t think there’s a better way to kick off the week than with a roundup of my favorite pieces from the new collection! The bright color palette reminds me of sherbet, and I love that the collection mixes bold statements together with more delicate pieces.

Each and every piece is below $50 with many of my favorites under $30. Affordable statements are the best kind of jewelry! Do you have a favorite? I still love the Frontal Necklace (#9), and the Stone Stud Earrings (#4) remind me of my hydrangea inspired post. :)

I’ve known that the date was on the horizon, but I didn’t realize that my blog’s birthday was yesterday! Carly is Inspired is officially 1! I’ve been blogging for over three years, but I decided to launch this site a year ago with the hope that it would feel much more personal, much more me than anything I had done before. I also hoped I would be able to inspire someone who might share the same likes and loves as me. I love writing, creating inspiration boards, talking to brands, and “meeting” all of you. Your emails and comments are what make blogging so unique and so fun. Whenever I’m working on something for this site, I can’t help but smile. I hope you have a job or a hobby that you truly love. Thank you for following along. :)

Now for a few links I’ve loved over the past few weeks! It’s an eclectic mix, friends. PS: Get ready to bake. Seriously.

In honor of my blog’s first birthday, I have to include the first post I ever wrote! I’m still constantly inspired by Caroline Joy‘s bouquet. And I’m also amazed at how much I’ve been able to do in the past year. So much of it is because of blogging. Start something, you never know where it might take you.

BaubleBar created a collection for Nordstrom. Exciting! I love both companies because they create and promote pieces that are on trend that will not cause you to go over your budget. And the pieces in this collection? They’re so awesome! I love the combination of bright coral, gold, and tortoiseshell in the necklace above (all of the pink always!), and I also love this piece and this one too. Maybe a full post is in order on Monday.

Ann Shoket is one of my favorite editors because she seems so genuine…and because we graduated from the same high school. :) Even though I’m 25, I definitely still pick up a copy of Seventeen now and again. I love the heart the magazine puts forth for teen girls, and Ann echos that message in her career feature with The Huffington Post. One of my favorite quotes from the piece is one that Barbara Walters told her early in her career, “Don’t imagine that your life now is the way it’s always going to be. You have no idea the adventures that are in store for you.” YES.

Holy coffee cake! My favorite recipes are ones that involve fresh fruit, especially lemon. And I’m a huge fan of blueberry muffins. Combine the two, and it becomes a must try. The recipe seems fairly simple, and the step that seems like it will take the longest is actually baking it. Not bad! I’m pretty sure baking this coffee cake will complete my Sunday. I’ll make sure to post the result on Instagram!

Lion King Australia Cast:

Have you seen this video?! I’ve watched it more than a few times. The cast sounds so awesome, and they’re on a plane! I can’t even imagine being one of the lucky passengers on their flight in Australia. Make sure to take a few minutes and watch the video. I promise it’s worth it!